Electrical attachment for floor tools or nozzles of air-method cleaners



June 14, 1938. n. B. REPLOGLE ELECTRICAL ATTACHMENT FOR FLOOR TOOLS 0R NOZZLES OF AIR METHOD QLEANE RS Fi'led June 7, 1923 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented June 14, 1938 UNITED STATES ELECTRICAL ATTACHMENT. ron spoon TOOLS OR CLEANERS NOZZI ES OF AIR-METHOD Daniel Benson Replogle, Berkeley, Calif., assignor to The Ohio Citizens Trust Company, Toledo. Ohio, a corporation of Ohio, as trustee Application June 7, 1928, Serial. No. 283,585

8 Claims.

This invention relates to cleaning tools adapted to be used in connection with pneumatic or suction cleaners which are electrically driven, and more particularly in connection with airmethod cleaners known commercially under the registered trade-mark Air-Way". The invention relates more in detail to attachments for Air-Way" cleaning tools of the type described in my application for Letters Patent Serial No.

15,529, filed March 14, 1925.

The objects of the invention are to provide an electrically operated attachment to be connected to the fioor tool and operated by an electrical extension cord from the motor, to improve the action of the floor tool by vibrating a portion of the face of the tool, to make and combine an electrical buzzer with such floor tool when operated on stationary plants; and other objects as may appear from this specification and may be pointed out in the claims.

To these ends, the invention consists of the-design, construction and arrangement of parts and elements as shall now be described and as are illustrated in the drawing, in which:

26 Figure 1 is a plan view with sections taken on the lines CD and E-F of Figure 3.

' Figure 2 is a reduced size view in perspective of one end of the buzzer attachment; a similar end being broken away.

Figure 3 shows a section taken on the line A-B of Figure 1.'

Figure 4 is a greatly reduced viewin perspective of an Air-Way cleaner with one of the buzzer attachments connected'to the tool there- 36 of. I d

Similar characters of reference refer to like and corresponding parts in the several figures. Referring to the drawing, the body of the floor tool I, having .pring support rollers 2, 2'

designed to hold it above the carpet to be cleaned, is to be supplied with air suction through the pipe 3. An "Air-way cleaner tool is provided with channels to hold strokers as 4 but when the present improvement is to be used one of the strokers 4' is to be removed and mounted on the vibrator arm 5 carrying the armature 6 and the channel socket l, in the latter of which the stroker I is held securely and to be vibrated so that its lower lip portion shall buzz or beat the carpet which is sucked up against it by the inrushing air. A rubber substitute strip 4" is placed in the channel of the fioor tool from which the stroker has been removed and its lower edge is arranged to impinge on the upper side of the tilted stroker 4', making a seal against leakage but being sufilciently resilient to permit sufficient small vertical vibrations of the stroker I.

The vibrations are produced by the electromagnetic buzzer in the encasements 8, 8, carrying a common plate or vibrator arm 5, screwed to the encasement walls at 9, 9, etc. Either type, the current breaker, or the alternating current type buzzer can be used, but the one here shown is an alternating current type buzzer in which the armature strain is regulated by the extension springs l0, l0, which springs are to be varied in tension by the knurled nuts H, H, according to the power and current applied through the coils l2, I2, etc. which may be wound to work in series or in parallel, but are here shown as in two pairs, each pair in series but all designed to act in unison on the common arm 5, to lugs of which the springs l0, l0, are-hooked at Ill, ID. The portions to which the coil cores are attached at l2, I! are the top covers of the encasements 8, 8, connected to the arm 5, which not only vibrates but extends through under the pipe 3 the whole length of the device, so that clamps l3, l3 which are welded to the sides of the encasements 8, 8, at 8', 8', will hold the entire device firmly in position when the hooks l3, l3 are caught over the body of the tool and hooks l3", l3'fof'the clamps are caughtunder the edge of the tool channel as shown. A rubber guard 8" surrounds the base of encasement 8.

The vibration of the arm} of the device is efiected by current from the cord H which may 'lead from any electrical source, but is here shown as coming from an extension from the motor of an Air-Way" cleaner l5 which in turn receives its current from a cord IS, the cords l4 and H leading to the coils, being merely extensions of the lead I I. I a

The cleaner with the attachment in place is to be used by moving back and forth over the carpeted floor. As the in-rushing air. lifts the carpet against the strokers, the buzzing or rapid vibrations of the lip or stroker l imparts its vibrations to the lifted carpet dislodging imbedded particles of dust which plain air currents will not affect. when the tool is pressed down upon the floor between the spring support rollers, the lip or stroker 4 will of course beat upon the fiat lying carpet upon the floor. Having thus described the invention and the operation in the present embodiment thereof, I do not wish to be confined to the details as shown since many of them may be greatly modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim broadly:

1. An attachment unit for a cleaning tool having a floor engaging lip, comprising a casing, an electro-magnet carried by said casing having a vibrator arm also carried by the casing and carrying another lip for said tool, means for detachably connecting the casing to the tool and means for bringing electric current to the electro-magnet.

2. In combination with the floor tool of a suction cleaner having an unobstructed suction inlet, a vibrator unit detachably secured to the floor tool comprising a casing, an electro-magnet and vibrator arm carried by the casing, spring clips for detachably connecting the casing to the exterior of the floor tool, and a fioopengaging lip carried by the vibrator arm.

3. In combination with a suction cleaner having an elongated nozzle with an unobstructed suction inlet,-a vibrator unit det'achably connected to the nozzle externally of the suction inlet, comprising a pair of casings each carrying an electro-magnet, a common vibrator arm carried jointlyby both of the casings, a floor-engaging lip operated by the vibrator arm, and clamps carried by said casings for detachably securing said unit to the nozzle.

4. A supplemental unit for attachment to the floor tool of a suction cleaner, comprising a casing, an electric current consuming device located within the casing, and spring clips carried by the casing for detachably securing the casing to the outside of the floor tool.

5. In combination with a floor tool for a suction cleaner, having an elongated suction nozzle; a supplemental unit for attachment to the floor tool, comprising a casing, an electric current consuming device located within the casing, and

spaced spring clips carried by the casing and ntting over the exterior of said nozzle for detachably connecting said supplemental unit to the.

floor tool.

6. In a pneumatic cleaner, an elongated suction nozzle, supplemental non-meta'llic'lip memedges thereof and defining a mouth, a vibrator actuating unit connected to the nozzle externally and in rear thereof, said unit including an electromagnet independent of the suction producing means having a vibrating armature, and an oscillating element actuated by said armature and cooperating with the nozzle in the cleaning operation, said element having a surface engaging portion extending past the inner edge of the rear lip.

7. In combination with a suction cleaner having an elongated nozzle, a vibrator actuating means mounted externally and in rear of the nozzle, and including a pair of spaced electromagnet carrying units, one mounted adjacent each end of the nozzle, each unit being provided with means for attachment to the nozzle, electromagnets carried by said units, and surface engaging vibrator means actuated by said electromagnets and cooperating with the nozzle in the cleaning operation.

8. In a pneumatic cleaner, an, elongated nozzle having a suction inlet, a vibrator actuating unit connected at the rear of the nozzle externally of the suction inlet, and including a pair of spaced electromagnets, one mounted adjacent each end of the nozzle, and a surface agitating means actuated by said electromagnets and cooperating with the nozzle in the cleaning operation.

' DANIEL BENSON REPLOGLE.

' bers carried by the nozzle along the longitudinal 

